I am not What I am
by chivalry SHOUTS
Summary: This story goes between the lives of Oliver, Miley and Lily and the life of Owen Othello, a new star who is accidently stealing Hannah Montana's spotlight. Hannah and Owen have a few good rows with each other and romance arises. But, who is Owen Othello?
1. For Daws to Peck at

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello, and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

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"But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve / For daws to peck at: I am not what I am." (_Othello_ I.I)

* * *

"'Othello's the name and you don't forget it because after the concert Saturday night at the Seaview Stadium, I assure you that you'll be screaming it.' And there you have it, folks. From the bright new-comer to the stage himself, Owen Othello. He will be performing to a sold-out stadium this Saturday night. The show starts---" Miley Stewart, the true identity of Hannah Montana, turned off her television in outrage. How could they cancel a Hannah Montana concert for this... Rockstar. What was he, only fourteen years old?

Miley called Lily Truscott, her very best friend, for advice. Lily had always given Miley the best advice there was, 'This is the life, hold on tight. This is the dream, it's all you need,' was some of her best work. "Is Hannah Montana losing her fan base, Lily? Are people at school saying stuff about Hannah that I'm not hearing?" Miley was having a nervous breakdown. "Lily!" She cried, when her friend didn't respond right away.

While Miley was whining over the phone, Lily thought about the whole situation at hand. She remembered how big Hannah Montana used to be. How, before she knew Miley was Hannah, everyone was always gushing to their friends about her and her latest concert at the Seaview Stadium. But, if there was no Hannah Montana to gush about... Lately, Hannah's spotlight was a little dim because of Owen Othello. "Maybe you need a new edge," Lily suggested, "This 'Owen Othello' is really talented. He's nothing like you," she told Miley.

Miley screamed into the receiver, "Are you saying that I'm not talented?" Miley rambled on about how she was and that her best friend should know that, what with her once-famous, Folk-singing father, how could she not be. "But then again, look at Jackson... that boy can break the mirror in the bathroom when he showers---"

Lily interrupted her friend, "You are talented. Owen Othello is Rock, while you're Pop. That's all that I meant by it," she clarified to her best friend. Miley was relieved and sighed. "Now, are you feeling better or do you need a pint of Ben & Jerry's and a good comedy with Oliver and me?" Lily asked her friend.

Miley shook her head, then realizing that didn't answer Lily, she said, "I'll pass, I'm sure you and Oliver want to be alone tonight." Lily laughed nervously on the other end. "Oh, come on, like I didn't know!" Miley said to her. "You can't get anything past me, Miley, your best friend!" Lily laughed nervously again, made an excuse and hung up the phone.

"That was odd," Lily said to herself, after getting off the phone with Miley. Oliver, Lily's best male friend, was on the boardwalk with her when Miley called. The two had been out catching the waves all afternoon and were now sharing a soft pretzel. The two were both wet and salty, wearing their rash guards and carrying their surfboards with them. They were heavy buggers, but they couldn't just leave them lying on the beach.

Oliver looked away from the front of the newspaper he was reading while a lady sat on the stool behind Lily reading the inside and he focused in on Lily, "Wha' was?" he asked her, with soft pretzel in his mouth. The sight was foul to see, it made Lily a bit queasy. She turned to see what Oliver had been reading, "Who's that 'Owen Othello' person?" Oliver asked Lily as she read the headline, 'Othello steals Montana's stage'.

Lily grabbed the newspaper from the lady who was reading it and read on, "'Hannah Montana, the former Pop sensation that roamed these Malibu lands has recently been stomped on by Owen Othello, a new sound to the stage, who's taking Pop music out of Malibu's water and replacing it with Rock---'" Lily read out loud to Oliver. "Oh man!" Lily said, pushing the newspaper away from her and throwing her head down onto the counter.

Oliver watched as Lily's head fell, he silently said 'Ouch!' and turned to Jackson, Miley's older brother who worked at Rico's, the beach hut, "Hey Jackson, I think we need a pop over here!" Oliver called, ordering a soda for Lily. The newspaper had fallen to the ground and Oliver picked it up as he waited for Lily's drink. He looked at the photo taken of the Rockstar. The photo showed him wearing black sunglasses, so it was hard to really make out his face. In compliance to the photo printed, Owen Othello had tousled blonde hair and his face had compelling features. His smile, for one, was engaging. According to the article and the interview that followed, Owen fidgeted a lot and always had to brush his hair out of his eyes. "You can't say he isn't handsome, though," Oliver said to Lily, sliding the article back under her nose.

"That's besides the point, Oliver!" Lily said, looking down at the photo. "Oh, but his hair is gorgeous!" Lily said, picking the newspaper back up again. "I wish he didn't wear those sunglasses though," she said, her tone sounded a little disappointed. Lily only imagined what Owen Othello really did look like. Jackson handed Lily her pop and Oliver generously paid for it. "It says here that he lives in Malibu," Lily said, siting the interview. She pointed it out to Oliver, who leaned over to read it. "I wonder if we've ever seen him before," she thought out loud.

Oliver laughed, "Don't you think it'd be like when Jake Ryan was here? Everyone would be swarming him like bees to their honeycomb." Lily nodded, she never thought of that. She and Oliver returned to skimming the article, now completely intrigued. "And he's our age," Oliver said, pointing to a little 'Quick facts' column near the photo. "Name: Owen Othello; Age: 15; Birthdate: July 9, 1991; Hometown: Malibu, CA---" Oliver read to Lily.

Lily smiled, "He's cute," she said and asked Jackson for a pair of scissors. "This photo is going up on my wall when I get home," she said to Oliver. He looked at her in disbelief. One minute, she hated the Rockstar for stealing Hannah's stadium and now, all she could think about was Owen Othello. Oliver couldn't help but be a little jealous.


	2. I do Beguile the Thing I am

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello, and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

* * *

"I am not merry; but I do beguile / The thing I am, by seeming otherwise." (_Othello_ II.I)

* * *

By the end of the day on Friday Miley was pulling her hair out at the sight of every person's locker at her school. Inside everyone's locker was the newspaper clipping of Owen Othello. The Rockstar was taking over every part of Miley's life. "Can you believe this?" Miley asked her two best friends. Lily and Oliver looked between each other and laughed guiltily. "Oh, come on!" Miley said, putting her arms across her chest.

Oliver tried to reason with her, "People need a change from time to time." Miley uncrossed her arms and listened in. "Maybe it's a phase that everyone's going through. This Owen Othello won't last long and before you know it you'll be right back up in everyone's lockers." Miley smiled and the three of them headed to Lily's locker, their last stop before going home.

Lily rung her combination in and then stopped, "On second thought, I don't have to go to my locker," she said, and turned away. Miley knew exactly what was going on. She grabbed Lily's shoulder and turned her right back around. Miley opened Lily's locker, only to find that inside was not one, but four of the newspaper photos.

"And I thought my obsession with Hannah Montana was extreme," Oliver said, amazed to see multiple Owens. Miley cringed at the memory of Oliver's fixation. "Hey, you're talking about Smokin' Oken!" Oliver said, taken aback. Miley then reminded him of when he wouldn't wash his hand because he thought Hannah Montana had kissed it. Lily laughed apprehensively and started to tear the photos of Owen down from her locker door and she went to stuff them in the trashcan at the end of the hall.

Miley turned to Oliver, "You don't think that Lily thinks that Owen is better than Hannah Montana, do you?" She asked him, when Lily was throwing away the newspaper clippings. Oliver shrugged his shoulders and told Miley that she had nothing to worry about. Miley smiled half-heartedly, still unsure. Oliver put his hand on her shoulder and Miley rested her head on his hand.

Miley, Lily and Oliver headed to Miley's house where Jackson was already at home and dancing like a fool on the couch. "She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she---" Jackson had been singing heinously into a wooden spoon and was wearing black sunglasses like Owen Othello as he saw Miley and her friends come in, "Hey, Miles," Jackson said, taking off the sunglasses and bounding off the couch to go over and return the spoon to the kitchen.

Miley sat herself on the couch, Lily taking a seat on the back and Oliver on the armrest. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him," Miley whispered to herself, talking about Owen Othello. Miley turned and laid herself down on the couch and, looking up at Lily, she asked, "What do you like about Owen Othello anyways?" Lily shrugged.

"Miles, look!" Jackson said. He was looking at a magazine that was in with the other mail on the kitchen counter. "Hannah Montana's losing her fans to Owen Othello now, is she?" Jackson said, skimming through the magazine. "'With a smile so strikingly perfect and those sunglasses causing him to be nicknamed 'Malibu's Mystery Celebrity' it's no wonder that people are now choosing to buy Owen Othello tickets over Hannah---'" Jackson read from the article.

Miley screamed, "I can't stand him!" At the sound of Miley's scream Lily lost her balance and fell backwards off of the couch. Oliver hopped off the armrest and went to go help her back up. "Sorry, Lily," Miley said, as Lily took a seat on a stool in the kitchen. "But what is going on with everybody? They all loved Hannah last week!" Miley whined. Oliver tried to hush Miley, but she just threw a pillow in his direction. He tried to duck but the pillow hit his head square in the face.

Lily laughed, which caused both Miley and Jackson to, also. Oliver took another pillow and threw it at Lily. It caused her to stop laughing and she took another pillow and threw it right back at Oliver. Oliver caught it and threw the pillow to Jackson. Miley and Lily were throwing pillows between themselves now. Jackson leapt up onto the kitchen counter and tried to do a Tarzan imitation by pounding his fists against his chest. He capered down and proceeded to throw a pillow at Miley. Lily threw a pillow at Oliver, who wasn't paying too much attention to the game any longer. He cried, "O-oh!" and fell onto this back on the floor. Lily laughed and went over to him to help him up. Jackson and Miley had pummeled each other silly. And the pillows they had heaved between themselves now looked torn. "Sibling love," Lily said acerbically, as she put her hands on her heart.

Oliver went over to the kitchen and read more of that article, "'Owen Othello is one star that isn't going anywhere anytime soon. People have even started to place bets to see if he'll beat out Hannah Montana for next year's Grammy Award for 'Album of the Year'---'" Oliver read out loud, "'Some say it'll be a tough decision, others disagree.'" Miley stood up and grabbed the magazine from Oliver's hands. She threw it on the ground and started to tramp all over it. Oliver, Lily and Jackson watched the convulsion for several seconds before they tried to restrain her. Miley only stopped yelling and throwing a fit after Lily took the magazine out from under her feet. "Miley, it's going to be fine," Oliver assured her. Miley sighed and collapsed right back onto the couch.


	3. Great Captain

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello, and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable. "We will Rock you" by the English Rock band, Queen, was only added to Owen's concert performance so that the readers of this fan fiction know that when I said that Owen Othello sang Rock, I meant Rock. Owen isn't Glam Rock, but he is Rock.

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"Our great captain's captain." (_Othello_ II.I)

* * *

Owen Othello was backstage at the Seaview Stadium, getting his microphone taped to the side of his face. The cord ran under his shirt and the battery pack was situated on his belt. The stage manager spoke to another stagehand, "We're going to need Othello to the stage in three minutes." Owen's heart started to race and his fingers started tapping out the melody to one of his songs on his jeans.

His foot started to beat quarter notes against the floor. "Hell and night, must bring this monstrous birth to the world's light---" Owen sang quietly to himself as he prepared himself to walk onto the stage. He looked out and saw the full stadium, all there to see him perform tonight. A smile graced his face, he wanted to run out there right at that very moment and play for all of them. From behind him the stage manager had called to dim the lights in the stadium and for the lighting booth to light the stage. Owen looked back at the stage manager, who gave him a thumb's up, signaling for him to walk onto the stage. He took his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on.

The band continued to tune as Owen walked out and took to the microphone stand that stood center. The stadium filled itself with the shrieks of everyone who came out to see him. He brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and took hold of the microphone stand as he said, "What a terrible turn out tonight." Chortles and laughs were heard from the people in the crowd. "Really though, I'm grateful to everyone who came out tonight," Owen said and turned away from the crowd to grab his guitar. He pulled the strap over his shoulder and took a pick out of his pocket. Owen played a few chords to make sure that his guitar was in tune. He returned to the microphone and told the crowd, "This first song is called 'Farewell', some of you may or may not have heard it. All the better if you have," he smiled and turned to the drummer and nodded as a way of telling him to start.

The drums started it all off, soon followed by Owen's guitar. It began slow, but by the chorus, the bass picked everything up. "Farewell to the tranquil mind," Owen sang, "Farewell content, farewell the plump troop and the big wars that make ambition virtue!" Owen walked to the front of the stage and red and blue spotlights followed his body. "O, Farewell!---" Owen cried. The crowd was bawling for more as the song ended.

Owen laughed and started playing his guitar again, plucking chords until the audience settled slightly. "Now, this next song I know most of you know," Owen said into the microphone, "It's called, 'Jealous Souls'." Owen began again strumming at his guitar. The bass came in and after ten seconds the drums followed. "Jealous souls will not be answered to," Owen started to sing, "They are not ever jealous for the cause---" An instrumental carried the song off into a 'Hey Jude'-like phase. Owen was playing back to back with the bassist. "---But jealous for they are jealous," Owen crooned into a different microphone.

Softly, but getting louder, the drummer started a simple three beat rhythm. Owen's head nodded to the rhythm and he played along. "Buddy, you're a boy, make a big noise, playin' in the street, goin' be a big man some day. You've got mud on your face, you big disgrace, kickin' your can all over the place," Owen started to sing. The audience immediately imitated the three beat rhythm, recognizing the very classic song instantly. "We will, we will rock you!" Owen cried into the microphone. "Buddy, you're a young man, hard man, shoutin' in the street, goin' take on the world some day. You've got blood on your face, you big disgrace, wavin' your banner all over the place," Owen sang from on top of one of the speakers. He was playing loud, but the audience was louder with their stomps and their claps. They sung the chorus. Owen leapt off of the speaker and continued, singing, "Buddy you're an old man, poor man, pleadin' with your eyes, goin' make you some peace some day. You've got mud on your face, you big disgrace, somebody better put you back into your place!" The crowd went nothing short of harebrained as Owen sang, "We will, we will rock you!" He smiled and sang it again, "We will, we will rock you!"

Red, blue and white lights were moving in various directions across the stage. Owen Othello stood at center for most of the concert but also tended to jump around the stage as well. "Unkindness may do much," Owen sang as he neared the end of his concert, "And his unkindness may defeat my life, but never taint my love." There was a guitar instrumental as the song came to an end. Owen was sweating and had to get himself a drink of water.

"I'm sorry to say that his is going to be the last song tonight," he informed the cheering crowd, "It's called, 'It is the Cause'." The bass began in a slow, eighth note rhythm. "It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul," Owen started to sing. This song was slow and a perfect end to the concert. "Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars," he sang as the drums played softly, "It is the cause, yet I'll not shed her blood, nor scar the whiter skin of hers than snow. And smooth as monumental alabaster." There was a definite swaying of the crowd as the band played on. A light strumming of Owen's guitar ended the song and the people in the stadium cheered for more. Owen laughed as he told them, "You were a tremendous crowd tonight," with a wave of his hand. He put his guitar back and took to stage left.

Everyone that was backstage applauded Owen as he walked off and went into his dressing room. Owen looked at himself in the mirror and pulled off his microphone. He pushed his hair out of his face, took his sunglasses off and smiled at himself in the mirror. He sat down in a revolving chair, pushed himself around in it once and then sat there and just smiled. The door opened and his manager rushed in. "Good news, great news!" he cried. Owen turned the chair to look at his manager as the man found himself a seat on Owen's couch. "You've pulled in a record number of tickets for the Seaview Stadium!" Owen looked at himself in the mirror again and pushed his hair out of his eyes. All of his dreams were coming true. His manager turned his back toward Owen as he made a few phone calls. There was a lot of hushed conversation and Owen decided to just ignore it. He never understood all of the business talk.

After a good hour and a half, Owen left the backstage area and set off for home. He hit the side alley in the hope of not running into anyone who went to the concert. Once out front he looked at the marquee, "OWEN OTHELLO" it read, "ONE NIGHT ONLY" "THIS SATURDAY" His face was plastered to the wall next to it. Owen should've been used to this whole thing by now, but it still seemed unreal to him.

"Owen!" cried a member of the paparazzi. He turned around and saw the flash go off. He dug into his pockets and found his sunglasses. He put them on as fast as he could. "Don't want to be seen, huh?" The man asked Owen as he flashed another photo. "What do you have to hide?" He asked. Owen put his hand in the lens of the camera and started to whistle for a taxi. "Leaving so soon?" The photographer asked in a mock-caring tone.


	4. Which thou owedst Yesterday

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello, and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

* * *

"Not poppy, nor mandragora/ Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world/ Shall ever medicine thee to that sweet sleep / Which thou owedst yesterday." (_Othello_ III.III)

* * *

On any given day during the Summer months, Malibu, California averages at 110° in the afternoon. Sunday, the day following the Owen Othello concert, Miley, Lily and Oliver were found at the beach enjoying the hot weather by surfing and tanning. "Oliver, can you get me a water?" Miley asked Oliver, as he laid on the beach in between herself and Lily.

Oliver nodded, "Sure," he said to his best friend and stood up. Oliver had been reading a book for school while Miley and Lily had been talking about wardrobe details for the next big party that Hannah and Lola had to go to. Lola was Lily's pseudonym name that she adopted when she found out about Miley Stewart being Hannah Montana and she wanted to be part of that life as well.

"Get me one, too, please!" Lily said over her shoulder to him. Oliver nodded and headed up the beach and over to Rico's, the beach hut. The beach was crowded today, as it always was on the weekends. As Oliver walked along it, he kept hearing pieces of conversations, and he didn't hear a single one that wasn't talking about Owen Othello and the previous night's concert.

Jackson was working today and, although he loved his job, he was a terrible people person. "Jackson, two waters, please," Oliver said, once he reached the beach hut. Oliver collapsed into a seat and his head hit the counter as he waited for the drinks. He was plainly tired and the heat was making his fatigue even worse. Rico's was busy and only Jackson was working. Oliver had fallen asleep in the shade of the hut's awning as he waited for the two waters.

Poking Oliver to wake him up, Jackson said, "Hey, I need that seat for paying customers!" He told Oliver as his eyes flickered open. Oliver took Miley and Lily's waters and headed back down the beach, again hearing all about the Owen Othello concert from Saturday night. Oliver sat back down in the sand when he got back to his friends.

He gave the waters to Miley and Lily and then laid down. Miley and Lily soon followed suit and started to tan. Oliver fell asleep again, but this time it was for over an hour. Miley and Lily hadn't realized that their friend was sleeping. "Oliver!" Lily yelled into his ear. Oliver awoke hastily. Miley was laughing behind Lily as she said, "You have a really bad sunburn."

At that Oliver suddenly felt the burn all down his arms and legs as well as on his face. He burned himself badly in the sun that afternoon. "What am I going to do?" He screamed, his voice was high pitched. Miley handed him a mirror from her bag. Oliver let out a yelp at the sight of his red face. "I have to go--- fix this!" Oliver said, picking up his book and surfboard and getting off the beach.

"That boy took my mirror!" Miley said, complaining, as Lily and herself packed up their belongings. "I better get it back," she said, crossing her arms. Lily assured Miley that she would because, knowing Oliver, he would likely hate looking at himself after an hour with a burn like that. The two left the beach and headed to Rico's to get a ride home from Jackson.

Oliver was staring intently at his sunburn in the mirror of his bathroom and was talking into his phone as he inspected the damage done to his face and arms. "Is the redness going to go down by Tuesday?" Oliver asked in a tone of panic. The muffled noise on the other end sounded equally alarmed by the burn. "I know, I know!" Oliver retorted into the receiver and hung up the phone. He searched through the cabinet in his bathroom before running down the stairs and into the living room. "I'm going out!" Oliver cried as he flew out the front door. His mother stuck her head out of the kitchen, just catching the back of her son's head as he ran back out.

Miley had invited Lily to eat dinner with Miley, Mr. Stewart, her father, and Jackson. Mr. Stewart had cooked up a stew for them that night. Lily knew the meat in the stew wasn't beef or chicken. She thought that it could be pork, but she really had no idea what was stewing among the potatoes and the carrots. "Thank you for having me, Mr. Stewart," Lily said, as she pushed her food around on her plate.

Mr. Stewart smiled, "It was our pleasure, Lily," he said, with a genuine smile. After dinner Lily offered to do the dishes and Miley helped her friend. Mr. Stewart told Lily that she didn't have to, but Lily insisted. Jackson was sitting fancy as he watched her and Miley wash the dishes because it was his night to do them. "Don't worry, Jackson," Mr. Stewart told his son, "You'll just do them tomorrow night."

Oliver was at the drugstore and scanning the aisles for aloe to sooth his skin. Again, he was on the phone talking to the same hushed voice on the other end. "No, I am not going to wear make up!" Oliver said, sounding like he had completely made up his mind on the matter. "You can't make me do it," Oliver told the person on the other end, "Well, yes, you can make me, but I still won't do it." The person on the other end of the call must have won the argument because after ten minutes, Oliver was checking out and the cashier was laughing at him. "A boy can wear cover up, too, you know!" Oliver said, grabbing what he bought and rushing out of the drugstore, more red than when he had walked in.

"Miley, can you come down here for a moment, please," Mr. Stewart called up to his daughter, about an hour after dinner was over. He had a phone resting on his chest, clearly putting the person on the other end on hold. There was a strident noise from upstairs, clearly Miley must have been in Hannah Montana's wardrobe with Lily, before she appeared at the top of the stairs and made her way down them. "I've been talking with Owen Othello's manager and I've arranged for you to go on tour together with him once school let's out in two weeks," Mr. Stewart said, with a smile plastered across his face.

At the very idea of Hannah Montana having to sing with Owen Othello, Miley passed out. From the couch, Jackson was laughing his head off as he flipped through the channels on the television. Miley's head hit the floor with a loud 'smack!' and at that, Jackson stopped laughing and Mr. Stewart got the impression that either Miley was completely overjoyed or completely disillusioned at the thought of touring with Owen Othello.


	5. That Bruised the Heart

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello (this chapter: Olisa Oken and Otto Oken), and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

* * *

"But words are words; I never yet did hear / That bruised the heart was pierced through the ear." (_Othello_ I.III)

* * *

The following day at school, Miley couldn't help but be in a terrible mood because she was scheduled to meet her number one foe, the adversary that was slaughtering her on the music charts, Owen Othello. "I went to his concert on Saturday and I just don't see what's so wonderful about him," Miley complained to Lily and Oliver. Oliver was still cherry red from burning on the beach the day before. Whenever he moved he let out a small whimper of anguish. Lily had heard the story already from Miley, and was irate that she didn't bring her to the concert, about Hannah Montana touring with Owen, but Oliver was just hearing about the news from Miley. He acted as if he was paying attention to her as she rambled on about how, "Owen walks around the stage as if he was a race horse wearing blinders."

Lily was scrawling in her notebook when her ears caught the callous comment. "I don't know Owen, but I'm just about convinced that he wouldn't be saying heartless things about Hannah Montana," Lily said, in a tone that told Miley that what she was doing was off beam. Miley was kicked in the teeth by Lily, even though she knew that Lily was right. "Where did Oliver go?" Lily asked, turning around and finding his chair empty, but his books were still on top of the desk.

Miley glanced around the classroom and saw Oliver up in the front, near the chalkboard, his back to them and talking to the teacher. Oliver went back to Miley and Lily and kneeled down in between their desks with his arms around their shoulders to lean them into the aisle, "I'm getting out of school early," Oliver began and Miley looked faintly flabbergasted, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about it before," Oliver said, observing Miley's reaction, "I'll see you tomorrow!" And Oliver stood up and took his books from the desk behind Lily before heading out of the classroom.

Once Oliver was out of earshot, Miley turned herself in her chair and asked Lily, "Where is he running off to?" Lately, most of Miley and Lily's conversations have been surrounding Oliver, whether it be what he was up to or where he was. Miley groaned and rested in her chair, considering what Oliver had to have been restraining to tell herself and Lily.

"Are you all set to go, Oliver?" The voice, the same one that was heard through the phone at the drugstore, called to him, as he shut his locker door. Oliver nodded and the woman who appealed to him said, "We're going to have to stop off at home so you can change, aren't we." She asked him as she put her arm over his shoulder, and when Oliver sniveled the woman let out a laugh and said, "We're going to have to cover up your burn, too." Oliver tried to laugh half-heartedly with her.

The woman who picked him up was his older sister, Olisa Oken. She was fresh out of high school, attending the local community college and living in their parent's garage. With the exception of the height discrepancy between his sister and himself, Oliver and Olisa looked remarkably identical, right down to their thin lips, their cheekbones and their signature family nose. "What ever you end up putting on my skin," Oliver warned his sister, "It better come right off!" His older sister laughed and took her brother's head under her arm. Oliver, even though in agony, guffawed along with his elder sister.

Fifteen minutes later, back at Oliver's parent's house, in the garage, Olisa was applying what felt like pounds of makeup to Oliver's face, neck, hands and arms. "Quit writhing!" His sister said to him, but Oliver just kept going at it, trying to get out of the chair he was sitting in. "It's not that miserable!" She cried. Oliver had changed into new clothes, clothes that were a little more formal.

Oliver was making whining noises as he tried to get away from his sister and the makeup that she was applying to his red skin. "It burns!" Oliver complained, "It stings! My pores are suffocating, I'm going to die!" Oliver said, dramatically, and made faux choking noises as he pretended to be his pores.

His sister inadvertently laughed and said, "Our parents are waiting for us, so we better get going." Oliver looked at his face in the mirror and stuck out his tongue, making a face that illustrated that he was dismayed. "Oh, give me a break, you look human now," Olisa said, punching her brother on the arm. Oliver yelped.

Once school let out for the day, Miley had to prepare herself to meet Owen Othello. "I'd sooner eat pig's feet than want to be in the same room as him," she told her father. Miley had stopped using the rock star's name, she preferred to just call him, him. She walked through the upstairs hallway, stomping her feet like a child and putting on her blonde wig, transforming herself into Hannah Montana. "Please don't make me do this," she reasoned with her father as she walked down the stairs and into the living room. Her father had opened the front door with a grin falsely plastered to his face and let her walk past him.

"Get me an autograph, won't you?" Jackson cried from the kitchen to his sister as she was leaving, just to exasperate her. Hannah turned around and stuck out her tongue. Jackson chuckled as their father took her and swung her around, letting her walk out of the house in front of him, telling her that they were going to be late if either of them swung any punches.

Oliver's parents were waiting for himself and Olisa at the portrait studio on the boardwalk. "Remind me, why are we here again?" Oliver whispered to his sister as they entered the photo studio and the bells on the door jingled to announce their arrival. Olisa laughed between herself and Oliver. On the walls of the studio were ghastly photos which they assumed were taken in the studio itself.

In the back of the studio sat their parents, on black velvet and in a pose, waiting for their children to show up. The Oken family hadn't taken a family portrait professionally since before Otto was born. "Where's Otto?" Their mother asked Olisa and Oliver when they walked over to them. Olisa had a guilty look on her face. She knew she forgot something. She and Oliver had forgotten to pick up their younger brother at preschool.

Oliver had figured that their parents had Otto. "No worries, I'll go get him right now!" Olisa said, and turned around and headed for the door. Oliver protested however, saying that he wanted to go with his sister, too. Neither of them really wanted to get their portraits taken. Oliver looked as pale as an anemic with the makeup that his sister had caked onto his skin.

In the end, both Olisa and Oliver got their younger brother from preschool and after a half hour of chaos, caused in part by all three of the siblings, the family managed to get a half decent photo of all five of them. "I still think that I look ill," Oliver complained as left 'the quaint studio' as their mother had called it. "Can I take this stuff off of my face now?" Oliver asked his sister as he started rubbing the palm of his hand on his cheek. His mother laughed and spit into a tissue and started to wash her son's face. "Gross!" Oliver proclaimed.

Hannah Montana was waiting for Owen Othello, the no show. "Can you believe this?" She asked her father, standing up from the table she was sitting at and beginning to get irritated. "Who does he think he is?" She said, leaving the room, steamed. Her father followed her out into the hallway and offered her a taste of his water. The cap was off of it and she hit it with her hand, causing the water to spill out onto the floor. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" Hannah cried as she fled down the hall, leaving the building, all heated.

Once outside, Hannah took off her wig and sat down on the curb. She rested her chin on her hands and slowly started to calm down. "Hannah Montana!" A photographer cried, seeing Miley and snapping multiple photographs. Miley grabbed for her wig and put it on hurriedly. Her father came out and sent the reporter off.

"We may have a problem tomorrow morning," her father warned Miley. She nodded, scared of what was to come. She knew that Hannah was nothing more than Miley without her wig. That didn't seem safe to Miley. And even though it wasn't his fault, Miley blamed Owen for the problem at hand.


	6. Let me Live Tonight

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello, and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

* * *

"Kill me to-morrow; let me live to-night!" (_Othello_ V.II)

* * *

Lily was laying down on Miley's bed, impatiently waiting for her friend to finish getting ready. "Lola has a curfew on school nights!" Lily said, loudly so that Miley could hear her from Hannah Montana's closet. Lily took the magazine that was on the top of Miley's armoire and saw the cover 'Hannah's been kicked to the curb!' She had already read the article a few dozen times at that point. There was a rustling noise behind the doors leading to the closet before Miley, as Hannah Montana, sprang from the wardrobe with a shrill 'Ta-da!' and Lily was impressed. "Miley, are you there?" Lily asked, pretending with her best friend.

Hannah laughed along and the two giddily went downstairs and met up with Miley's father. It was two days since the arrangements were made for Hannah Montana to go on tour with Owen Othello. The tour was going to be called, 'This is the life of jealous souls' after Hannah's single and Owen's song. "Are you ready, bud?" Mr. Stewart asked his daughter as she jumped over the couch and landed at his side with her head on his shoulder. Jackson was making himself a sandwich in the kitchen and was humming to one of Owen Othello's songs.

At the party, Owen Othello was dancing amongst the crowd of people already assembled there. Hannah and Lola saw Owen and immediately tried to dodge the crowd forming around him and they made a beeline for the corner. But Lola could not help herself, she started walking straight towards Owen Othello. She elbowed her way through the horde. "Lola Luft---" she began, but Owen had moved out of the crowd surrounding him and was walking over towards Hannah.

"Hannah, I---" Owen said her, very politely, "I just have to apologize about---" Hannah had walked away from him without a second glance back at his figure. He had heard through the grapevine that Hannah wasn't his biggest fan. Owen pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes nervously and followed Hannah across the large room. Lola had been following him as he followed Hannah and as she neared Owen, she tripped and planted her face in between his feet. Owen turned around, rather startled. "And, who are you?" Owen asked Lola, as her head was planted into the floor.

Hannah helped her friend up, "This---" she put her arm around Lola, "This is Lola, my best friend," she told Owen, nodding brashly. Owen smiled sheepishly. Hannah's head nod slowed down as she took the smile as a sign that it was acceptable. Hannah had thought that being friends with someone who was calling after him from across the room automatically qualified her to not be one to talk to herself. She thought that it would make him not like her, in any sense.

Owen shook Hannah's hand and in turn, Lola's also. Lola took Hannah's arm off of her and grinned adoringly to Owen. Lola put her fist to her chin and tried to casually lean against a table. However, the closest table to them was about a yard to her left. She fell straight to the floor again. "Oh man!" She cried, "Not again!" Implying that her habit of being clumsy had affected other parties prior to this one. She looked up at Hannah and Owen for some sort of assistance in standing again.

Hannah bent down to take her friend's hand. Lola stood and brushed herself off like it never happened. Owen took Hannah, gently by putting his arm behind her shoulders and brought her into the other room. "I think that we need to get along," Owen told Hannah as he took his arm off of her shoulders. Hannah looked behind her and thought about Lola and how she should go be with her best friend. Owen brushed his blonde hair out of his eyes again. Hannah looked deeply into Owen's eyes, trying to see behind his sunglasses. "Or let's at least pretend, for our manager's sake," Owen pleaded, before turning his head so that their eyes no longer met.

Hannah laughed, "No," She said, resolutely. Owen nodded and without warning to Hannah, he took her hand and guided her onto the dance floor. "What are you doing?" she asked him, slightly horrorstruck. Before long, Hannah said, "This is my song!" and she struck a pose for Owen, feigning as if to have a microphone in her hand. Owen chortled and took her hand away from her mouth and the two started to dance. A following had formed around the two of them. Owen twirled Hannah and she was guffawing and smiling the entire time.

Lola had been watching from the sidelines. She was ready to dance and have some fun, but no one seemed to want to have any fun with her. She discerned how much fun her best friend and her partner in crime, was having without her. She was brought down, that was obvious by the way her makeup was running. But instead of showing it, Lola just left. She hailed a taxi outside and walked out of the party. Hannah didn't notice her presence, or lack there of. It was nearing ten-thirty and she was having too much exuberance to notice the time, let alone notice that her Lola hadn't come around in the last few hours. "Owen, can I ask you a question?" Hannah asked her dancing partner.

Owen twirled her again and smiled. "You can, if you can," Owen said, and Owen caught Hannah in a dip. The two stopped dancing and went to sit down. There were more people at the party now and places to sit were hard to come by. The two sat down on the floor and Owen leaned his back up against a wall.

Hannah looked around fretfully before she said, as quietly as she could, but trill enough that he could hear her, "Why do you---" Owen leaned in to hear her better, "Why do you wear those sunglasses all of the time?" Owen leaned back against the wall and looked around just as Hannah had previously. He wanted to tell her, surefire as anything else. After all, they were about to go on tour together.

He shrugged, "Don't I look like a Fifties greaser?" He joked with Hannah. She laughed, but her laugh sounded a bit disenchanted. There was nothing more that Owen really could say to Hannah on the subject. It was a matter that only his family knew about. His manager knew, too, but in a different way.

The two sat there, resting from two hours of dancing. Hannah caught the time off of a person's watch who had walked by them. "Eleven o'clock!" Hannah shrieked, jumping up, and frantically she started looking for her coat. "Excuse me, pardon me!" Hannah said, roughly pushing through the gang around dance floor. "Move!" She screamed. Owen had got up from the floor and had gone after Hannah. He couldn't find her, however, because, after finding that someone had used her coat as a mop to clean up a spilled drink, Hannah was running out of the door and getting into her limousine.

"Hannah!" Owen cried, as he made his way around the party. He hadn't seen her leave and thought that she might have still been there. "Where are you?" He whispered to himself as he gave up. Not long after, Owen's manager found him and was petrified to know that Owen still at the party. Of course, Owen wondered how he could have left without his manager, the one who brought him there.

His manager took him, by the upper arm, outside, "Oh, what am I going to do with you?" He said, pacing back and forth. Every few steps he took were unsteady. He had unmistakably been drinking alcohol at the very same party where Owen was dancing with Hannah. His manager had started mumbling to himself and before long, he was laughing as well. During that time, Owen had taken his manager's car keys out of his hands, without much detection from his manager, to make sure that he wasn't going to drive himself or Owen home that night.

Owen laid down on the ground, with his hands under his head, and sighed as he looked up at the starry night's sky. It was a clear night. Owen took his sunglasses off and tucked them away into his pocket. "Let the music start a revolution," Owen sang quietly, as his manager spoke to himself in nothing more than murmurs, "No time to play it safe." Owen smiled pleasantly to himself, as more of Hannah Montana's song fluttered through his mind. He dialed for a taxi to pick up himself and his manager and then silently, after tuning out his manager, laid there and recalled the evening's events.


	7. A Divided Duty

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello (this chapter: Olisa Oken), and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

* * *

"I do perceive here a divided duty." (_Othello_ I.III)

* * *

The door to Oliver's bedroom flew open, nearly off of it's hinges. "Oliver Oscar Oken!" Oliver was sleeping in, yet he had school that morning. "Get out of bed!" His mother had a dish towel on her shoulder and had taken it to get his son out of his bed and into the shower. She returned downstairs to the kitchen to feed her other children once she heard the shower start running.

Oliver was down the stairs and in the kitchen in no time, realizing that he needed to be in his first class in fifteen minutes. His hair was still wet from his shower and his eyes were foggy from his lack of sleep the previous night. As he entered the kitchen, Oliver caught the wheat toast as it bounded from the toaster. He took a bite and walked around the kitchen table. He kissed his mother's cheek, took his younger brother's head under his arm and played around with him, received the Sports section of the newspaper from his father to read on the way to work and finally rounded to his sister, "Harlot!" He bantered to her, trying not to let their mother hear. His sister laughed, but their mother, who did hear her son, didn't approve.

Oliver headed to the door, "Wait!" His sister called over to him, "I'll take you." Oliver tossed her keys across the room to her. She took a taste of their younger brother's orange juice and the two headed out the door. Oliver made it to school on time, thanks to his sister, who was on her way to one of her classes at the local community college.

Lily nudged her sleeping friend in the ribs, "Oliver," she said. "Oliver!" His eyes flickered open and he looked around the room, finding himself having fallen asleep in one of his morning classes. He couldn't make out which one it was. Oliver groaned and buried his head into his arms again. Lily prodded his side a second time and Oliver made a really loud grunt. "What were you doing last night that you didn't get any sleep, Oliver?" Lily asked him, inquisitively.

Oliver grunted again and, avoiding the question, asked Lily one himself, "Can I copy your notes in lunch today?" Lily sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to get any direct answer out of her friend. The class was almost over and before Oliver knew it, lunch had arrived. Maybe he needed food to keep himself awake for the remainder of school that day. Wheat toast didn't exactly fill his stomach that morning.

Miley saw what Oliver was doing in lunch that day, "Do you really want to do that?" She asked him, pointing to his tray as he started squeezing ketchup packets out and into his milk carton. Oliver mumbled something but, Miley couldn't hear him. "You have nothing on your tray that even needs ketchup, Oliver," she told him and he groaned. Oliver needed more sleep, there was no getting around that.

At the lunch table, Lily had given Oliver her notes to copy. But he didn't get the chance to copy her notes because as soon as he sat in his chair, Oliver fell asleep into his food. "Should we wake him?" Lily asked Miley. Miley started eating and said something with food in her mouth, Lily took that as a 'No'.

School ended, with much satisfaction from Oliver, and Miley and Lily went over to Miley's house. Summer was in sight and Miley and Lily still had a great deal of studying to do for their finals. To no surprise of anyone, Oliver got home and went straight to bed, hoping to nap for the subsequent three hours. But at four o'clock, when the mail came, his house filled with tension.

"Miley, could Lola come on tour with you and Owen?" Miley was on her bedroom floor, looking under her bed for her textbook. She stuck her head up above the bed to listen to Lily. "I mean, Jackson's going and obviously Mr. Stewart is, so I was just wondering if, maybe, Lola could---" Lily pleaded with her best friend, laying stomach down on Miley's bed.

Miley looked a bit poignant, "I don't think so, Lily," she told her. Lily appeared disillusioned. "If you went, then Oliver would want to come, too. I'd love to bring you both, but---" Lily cut Miley off with a nod. Miley halfheartedly smiled at Lily, "Thanks for understanding." Lily smiled weakly and returned to reviewing her flashcards.

"Get down here, Oliver!" Oliver's mother called from the bottom of the stairs. Oliver rolled over in his bed and incidentally fell straight to the floor with a loud 'thump!'. He stood up, groggy, with the bed sheets wrapped around his body. Oliver went to the top of the stairs, out in the hallway, to see what his mother wanted. "Do you know that your school has contacted me concerning your grades, Oliver?" His mother said, calling up to her son.

Oliver rubbed his eyes and shook his head to get his auburn hair out of his face, "Hmm?" He said, still partly asleep. Olisa had come out of Otto's bedroom from playing with his matchbox cars and was watching as Oliver was being lectured to. She mumbled something about him being in for it now. Oliver sat down on the top stair, looking down at his mother as she continued to yell at him. He yawned and rested his head on the railing.

His mother did not look happy with him. She kept shaking the letter from his school in her hand and went on about how he needed to focus more in school and do his homework more often. "You are grounded," she said to him, just as Oliver nearly started to have forty winks again, "From everything," she emphasized the word 'everything' with her voice. It was then that Oliver became more alert and took his head off of the railing.

Lily had stayed for dinner at Miley's house, as was planned, before she walked home. It wasn't dark yet, or else Jackson would have given Lily a lift home himself. "Are you blind?" Jackson asked his younger sister once the front door shut with Lily being on the other side. Miley didn't know what he meant and shrugged off the question at hand. Miley had become so particular of the tour that she had lost all sense of her friends and family. "Let Lily come on the tour, we have the room on the bus," Jackson said, repeating what their father had advised to Miley at the dinner table when Lily was in the bathroom.

After dinner, Miley had a fitting for one of her costumes that she was going to wear on the tour. "No," she said simply, the same answer that she gave an hour earlier. The seamstress was at Miley's feet, hemming the bottom of her pants. And was at that moment Miley was inadvertently stuck with a pin. "Watch it!" Miley shouted down at the poor soul, who looked up at her very scared.

Her father and Jackson instantaneously turned their heads in shock of the tone that Miley had just had with the seamstress. Miley was losing her mind with this tour. Hannah Montana was no longer the nicest teen Pop sensation. Some reporters wondered if she was such a sensation anymore. Miley's double life was spiraling downwards and she no longer had her head on straight.


	8. For the Dew Will Rust Them

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello (this chapter: Olisa Oken), and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

* * *

"Keep up your bright swords, for the dew will rust them." (_Othello_ I.II)

* * *

The following day at school, Lily wasn't as optimistic as she usually was and she wasn't talking to Miley. The hallways were tense whenever the two saw each other and at lunch Miley wasn't in the lunch room. She had decided to take her lunch in the library. "Oliver, what is happening?" Lily whined to her other best friend. Oliver didn't know how to console Lily because he didn't understand the situation.

He tried his best to help though because Lily had been his best friend since day one. "So, Miley, after learning that her fame is being served to Owen Othello on a silver platter, has decided to fight back, fighting her friends and family," Oliver said, thinking out loud. Lily nodded, and thought back to last night when she asked if Lola could join her on the tour.

Lily sighed, "I miss Miley." Oliver couldn't help but agree with her as he sat there, feeling a little isolated in the lunch room. "You wouldn't want to go on tour with Hannah, would you, Oliver?" Lily asked, trying to see if what Miley had said about Oliver wanting to tag along was true.

He looked over to her and shrugged, "I couldn't, even if I was invited," he told Lily. "My parents decided to take us to New York because Olisa wants to tour New York University, she applied for their Fall semester," Oliver explained when Lily cocked her head. "We're going to play tourist in the Big Apple for a week or so, staying with my cousins."

At the end of school, with the final bell ringing monotonously as ever, Lily and Miley met up in the hallway as they each went to their respected lockers. Miley kept glancing over at Lily, trying to catch her eye. Lily made it a prerogative not to look at Miley. Oliver didn't have an ill will with Miley but, trying to be as neutral as possible, Oliver had gone over to Lily's locker to meet up with her. The two had decided to go surfing that afternoon. Oliver's reason, unknown to Lily, was that she could get her anger out at the waves, which held no grudges.

"Bye, Miley," Oliver said to his friend as Lily and himself walked past her. She was still at her locker and, not expecting the kind word, Miley dropped the book that she was holding. "Here," Oliver said, leaving Lily's side and kneeling down to get Miley's book for her. Miley looked at him with a confused look plaster across her face. "Bye, again," Oliver said awkwardly, and he returned to Lily's side. The two left the halls of the school and headed down to the beach.

Miley walked home alone that day. Jackson was supposed to pick her up but, she had overlooked that. His car had come up the street and slowed down as he saw Miley walking on the side of the road. "You forgot, didn't you?" Jackson asked, rolling down the passenger side window. He laughed as he pulled over for her to get in. "I bet you also forgot about your Hannah Montana appearance at four o'clock, didn't you?"

Opening the car door and getting inside, Miley immediately retorted, "I didn't forget, I just don't want to go." She folded her arms and looked out the window as Jackson drove off home. Miley knew that she didn't really have any say, Hannah Montana had to make an appearance. At home, Miley went to her closet straight away to get changed into her alter ego, Hannah Montana. "Just because Hannah is scheduled to perform doesn't mean she has to," Miley garbled to herself, sounding as if she thought that she was better than all of this.

The beach was as busy as ever that afternoon. Jackson had his hand's tied at Rico's, the beach hut on the boardwalk, and didn't have time even for a spare word to Oliver and Lily after the surf had washed them ashore laughing. Oliver had done a decent job at making Lily forget about everything that happened between herself and Miley within the last twenty-four hours. "Sometimes," Lily began, thinking out loud, "I wish it was just us again, Oliver." Lily sighed.

Oliver turned to her, bowled over at what she was saying. "What do you mean?" He asked her, moving closer to her and looking down at her face. Oliver only hoped that what Lily had said didn't mean that she wished that they had never met Miley. "Miley is---" Oliver began, but Lily shook her head, indicating that she didn't want to talk about it. Oliver nodded and looked away. He knew just how much Lily was hurting, he had felt like the third wheel since the day Miley moved to Malibu.

The day was leisurely turning into night and Lily and Oliver sat there in the sand, watching the red-orange Sun dip into the ocean. It was a sad occasion, seeing such a beautiful sight disappear. Oliver wrapped his arm around Lily and brought her closer to his body. She tucked her head into his chest and Oliver kissed the top of her head, being concerned for Lily's feelings. "Don't you worry," Oliver whispered into her ear. His breath tickled her earlobe and she laughed lightly. Lily looked up at Oliver and Oliver saw that she had started to cry. "Miley has a good heart, she'll come around," he told her. Lily knew that. Oliver smiled and started to stroke her back with his hand.

Lily wrapped her arms around Oliver and gave him a hug. "Thank you," she said softly and smiled. It was a genuine smiled that Oliver was happy to see Lily wearing. Lily kissed his cheek and then rested her head on his shoulder. Lily's hair graced Oliver's face and he could smell the salt water in Lily's locks.

"Oken, Truscott!" Jackson called, hopping over the counter of Rico's. "If you want a ride home, I can give you both a lift," he said to Oliver and Lily. Jackson twirled his key ring and grabbed his keys in his palm, "Make up your mind, I have to be home for dinner in a half hour." Lily and Oliver looked between themselves and mutually stood up and brushed themselves off. Both grabbed their surfboards and walked over to the beach hut to meet up with Jackson. The two of them and Jackson took off to Jackson's car with him leading the way.

Hannah Montana didn't look behind her as she normally would before stepping onto a set. She looked straight ahead and smiled as brightly as she knew how. "Hello, Malibu!" She said into the camera and blew a kiss to all of those who were going to be tuning into the morning talk show the following morning.


	9. Die in Music

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello, and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

* * *

"I will play the swan. / And die in music." (_Othello_ V.II)

* * *

"'Jealous souls will not be answered to. They are not ever jealous for the cause---'" As an instrumental ensued, Owen nodded his head along and, unconsciously started to place his fingers to the chords of the song. He didn't have a guitar in his hands at the time. "Talk about an air guitar solo," the disc jockey joked with Owen as he swung his chair around to face him.

Owen turned his face away, a little humiliated. "'---But jealous for they are jealous!'" For the first time, Owen Othello's song was being played on the radio. Everyone in Malibu listened to 99.4FM The Wave. After the song ended, the disc jockey turned back to Owen and placed a microphone to his lips. "Tell our listeners about your Summer tour with Hannah Montana," he insisted and winked.

Looking behind him at his manager, Owen didn't know what to say. "The tour starts a week from today in Los Angeles at the Kodak Theatre," Owen began, "But---" Owen smiled, "It's been arranged that I'll be playing The House of Blues in Anaheim the night before the tour starts, so you should certainly check out both concerts." The disc jockey grinned in return and put another song on the air.

He stood up, Owen following suit, and said, "Thank you so much for coming in today." Owen shook his hand and Owen's manager guided him through the building. On the way out Owen was stopped by the radio station's secretary asking, and blushing, for his autograph, claiming that it was for her daughter who was his age. Owen smiled and eagerly agreed to signed something for her. Strangely enough, he signed the lamp in her office because she couldn't find any paper that wasn't an important document for the station. Owen and his manager left the station after that.

Owen's manager threw Owen the keys to his BMW, "You can drive," his manager told him. Owen's parents had it painted the car fire engine red and gave it to him a few weeks ago. They told him that it was a late birthday present, but Owen knew that it was because his parent's were proud of him.

Owen hopped in, thrilled to drive his car. Turning on the radio and tuning into 99.4FM The Wave, Owen could hear the vocal styling of Hannah Montana start blaring through his speakers, "'We don't have to paint by numbers---'" it began and Owen, recognizing the voice, turned the volume higher, "'---Let our voice come out from under, hear it rise, feel the thunder---'" Owen's manager tried to return the volume to it's lower decibel, but Owen wouldn't allow it. "'It's time to lose control---'" Owen slowed down and pulled into the Kodak Theatre, where he had a concert rehearsal with Hannah Montana, herself.

Parking and getting out of the car, Owen smiled and started tapping his hands on his jeans. He put the keys to his car into his pocket and walked into the theatre with a smirk on his face. Hannah was on the stage and was in the middle of a dance sequence when Owen sauntered in and saw how big the set was. "It's too big," Owen said to his manager, shaking his head. "I don't really like it," he said, not wanting to be trying, but it really was too much. Owen was a little thwarted because he was never fond of extravagance. And he couldn't help but notice the excessively large 'Hannah Montana' logo in the middle of the stage.

"No need to fret, Owen," his manager assured him and hurried off to find someone from the set production team. Owen looked around further before finally getting up on the stage and taking in the size of the Kodak theatre. Owen closed his eyes and imagined the fans in their seats and himself playing alongside Hannah Montana and then he realized that they were nothing alike. In no way were they similar or even comparable. How was this tour even going to work?

Turning around and searching for Hannah, with no luck, Owen ran off behind the stage. "Hannah?" Owen asked, grabbing someone from behind and turning them around to see if it was her. He was wrong and apologized. "Hannah!" Owen cried, looking up and down, around set pieces and people.

Finding her with one of the costumers, Owen heaved a great sigh of relief. Hannah looked at him as he caught his breath, "Were you looking for me?" She asked him, then laughed nimbly. Hannah put the jacket that she was trying on back on its hanger and walked back towards the stage with Owen.

"This isn't going to work," Owen said, truthfully, so truthfully that it all but hurt Hannah's feelings. "Don't get me wrong but, how is this going to work?" Owen said, rephrasing himself. Hannah looked away from Owen, she didn't need another let down this week. "Have you seen the stage?" He asked her for a laugh, trying to lighten the frame of mind. Hannah didn't laugh.

Hurrying to find Owen, his manager was glad to see him with Hannah. "Good news, Owen, Ms. Montana," he said, acknowledging her. She nodded to him and he focused back to Owen. "The set production team is willing to redesign the stage to your specifications if you get them a sketch of what you want by the end of the day," his manager smiled, but Owen looked down at Hannah, who looked away from both of them.

Owen sighed, "I want it all taken down for right now," Hannah and his manager looked at Owen with incredulity, "Hannah and I will work out a better plan for the stage immediately." The two looked away from him, his manager running off to inform the set producer and Hannah going back to the costume rack. "Hannah?" Owen asked her, a confused tone to his voice.

Hannah didn't look at him when she said, "Why didn't you just tell your manager that you didn't want to do the tour anymore." She grabbed a shirt and turned to the mirror to see what it would look like if she wore it. Putting it back, she told him, "It would be less expensive than telling him after you redesigned my set." Hannah sounded exasperated with Owen and she still wouldn't make eye contact with him.

Hannah tried to walk away from him, but Owen grabbed her upper arm and turned her around, "I'm not quitting on you," he said, looking her straight in the eyes and she looked back. "We're doing this tour whether you want to do it anymore or not," he told her and she managed to smile. Owen beamed in return. "Now, this set---" he began and he put his arm over her shoulders and directed her to the front of the stage and turned her around to face it.

Essentially looking at the set, Hannah did see how unwarranted it was. "It doesn't look like your even a part of the concert," she said frankly. Owen took his arm away from her shoulder and she looked at him right after he did. "Let's devise a new set, just for our tour," Hannah said and smiled up at him. He acquiesced.

Down to where the microphone stands would go, Hannah and Owen worked on the set. Smiling and laughing as they did so. With two screens to enlarge their faces throughout the night for those higher up and farther back in the audience, the set construction plan was completed and Hannah and Owen were both happy with the result. "So, does that mean that we're done here?" Hannah asked him.

Playing with his blonde hair, Owen looked back at her, "It does if it does," he told her and stood up. "We can call it quits," he said, taking the paper which held their design. Hannah looked up at him, somewhat expecting him to help her get up. Owen did so and then they started walking back towards the stage. Their managers were likely to be looking for them.

Owen's manager, as he had guessed, was looking for him and was all too content to find Owen. "The sound and lighting department is looking for you and Ms. Montana," he told Owen. Owen sighed, he genuinely wanted to go home. But, Owen nodded and seeing Hannah doing the same, Owen walked into the sound and lighting booth and sat down with two older men who asked Hannah and himself a series of questions.

One, in particular, had Owen pondering longer than most of the others. It was about how many songs they were each planning on singing. "What would you say if we did a song together?" Owen asked Hannah, soon after they had arranged the sound and lighting for the concert. Hannah looked at him abnormally and without trying to be uncouth, she laughed. Owen tried not to take affront to it but, he, in fact, was snubbed. "I was just suggesting something, you didn't have to be malicious about it, Hannah," Owen said, appearing rather discomfited.

Hannah stopped her laughing, "I didn't insinuate anything by it," she assured him. Owen smiled anxiously and tried to laugh at himself. "I'd really like to do that," she told Owen. She looked sincere when she said it and that made Owen's stomach do a little flip. He thought that he was merely hungry for something to eat, seeing as he was missing dinner, but that was scarcely the reason why.

Not getting home until late that night, Owen was only too pleased to take off his sunglasses and get to bed. His mother was not taking these late nights well because, while his music was topping charts, every other aspect of his life was slowly slipping. "Oh, my son," she said, looking at his resting body on his bed, "What am I going to do with you?" She kissed his forehead and let her son continue to slumber.


	10. The Robbed That Smiles

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello, and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

* * *

"The robbed that smiles, steals something from the thief." (_Othello_ I.III)

* * *

Miley didn't show up to school the next day or for the rest of the week. Oliver made an attempt to see her but, Miley refused to see him or Lily. "Miley, you can't lock yourself up," Oliver said through the glass front door of Miley's house. "Look outside and see how nice it is out," he said, and pointed behind himself. "Wouldn't you love to go to the beach right about now?" Oliver asked her. Miley couldn't see him and, she tried her best to tune him out as well. "I tried," he sighed and walked away from the house.

From the kitchen, Jackson saw Oliver's attempt to see one of his best friends. He left the refrigerator door open as he went up the stairs to find Miley sitting on the top step and crying. "You heard Oliver, didn't you?" Jackson asked, sitting down next to his younger sister and attempting to console her. He put his arms around her and Miley leaned into him. "Oh, Miley," Jackson said, as she cried onto his shoulder, "Go and make up with your best friends." His advice to Miley was like a rare and precious diamond. Jackson seldom tried to intervene in Miley's life because, bluntly, he didn't care that much to essentially do anything.

But his integrity was hospitable to Miley. She had stopped crying and looked at her older brother with her watery eyes. "Well," Jackson said, in essence letting Miley go, "Go after them!" He exclaimed to his younger sister. And with a laugh, Miley wiped away her tears. Jackson stood up and helped Miley to stand herself. With one last hug from her older brother, Miley was hopping down the stairs and was out the front door, trying to rekindle two lost friendships.

"You did a good thing, bud," Mr. Stewart said, putting his hand on Jackson's shoulder. He had seen and heard the whole thing from behind. Jackson turned around in a flash and tried to brush the entire situation off as a glitch in his shrewdness as an older brother. Mr. Stewart laughed at his son and the two went downstairs for lunch. "Jackson!" Mr. Stewart yelled, seeing the door to the refrigerator open. Jackson snatched the sandwich he was making off the counter and took to the back door, trying to steer clear of what was to come from his father. Seeing his son leave, Mr. Stewart turned to the fruit bowl and grabbed an apple to eat, letting Jackson run off.

Down at the beach, Oliver caught sight of Lily, lying down in the sand, soaked from surfing all morning. "Still here?" Oliver asked her, as he sat down beside her. Lily's eyes were closed, squinting from the Sun. She opened them slightly, straining to see Oliver's face. Lily was covered in salt and sand and she had placed her arm across her forehead to help block the Sun.

Lily smirked as she saw Oliver looking down at her, "There's no better place to think," she supposed. And Oliver understood wholly. Nothing seemed more true these days. Oliver and Lily were at the beach nearly everyday, reevaluating the state of affairs they were caught in. No one thought harder than Oliver did. And no one did more than he did to amend the circumstances.

"What would you think if I---" Oliver started to tell Lily something important as he looked out into the ocean. His arms were across his knees and the wind was wafting the salty smell straight to him. Lily's slow and steady breathing, combined with the waves rolling to shore and the seagulls calling for their mates, made for one calming symphony.

Sitting up, Lily looked at Oliver carefully, "I don't think that I could take anymore thinking," she told him and Oliver took his eyes away from the water and gazed at her. "Unless this is something imperative," she corrected herself, deeming that what Oliver wanted to convey to her was, undeniably, important. Oliver shook his head and then pushed his hair out of his eyes. Lily beamed at him and Oliver, seeing her smile, looked down tautly.

Miley knew where her friends, if by calling them that meant that they were still speaking to her, would be. "Oliver, Lily!" Miley cried out to them as she scuttled down from the boardwalk. Oliver and Lily turned their bodies and saw their friend coming toward them. As Lily twisted around, she put her hand down into the sand and it landed on Oliver's hand, subconsciously, the two knitted fingers. Oliver drew his head up at her and Lily shifted her hand away sooner than Miley got close enough to see the incident. "Can we all talk?" Miley inquired, once she took a seat down in the sand close to Lily.

Playing off of each other's sentences, Oliver and Lily talked to Miley concerning everything. About why they were upset with her, clarifying that Miley was becoming increasingly more like Hannah Montana on a daily basis and revealing to her, with evidence to back it up, that the tour with Owen Othello was becoming backbreaking to their friendship. And finally, that they missed her, Miley Stewart. Oliver and Lily took to the boardwalk after that and they left Miley to her thoughts on the beach.

Watching Miley, Oliver put in the picture to Lily, "You did say that there was no better place to think than the beach." Lily nodded, she, too, was feeling the pain like Miley was as she sat in the sand. Taking Lily by the waist, Oliver and her ambled home and questioned, just what was going to happen next.


	11. To be Direct

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello (this chapter: Olisa Oken), and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

* * *

"To be direct and honest is not safe." (_Othello_ III.III)

* * *

"'I can't help but continue to apologize---'" Owen Othello was being interviewed on the local news channel, "'---because I hate that I have to postpone my concert at the House of Blues.'" There was a cough behind the camera lens and Owen rectified himself, "'I have to cancel my concert at the House of Blues.'" Lily was watching the television set and, as a reflex, she called Miley.

As soon as Lily heard Miley's voice, she panicked. She had to stop having an impulse to call Miley all of the time. Why was she, in no way, calling Oliver quite as often? "Lily?" Miley's voice came across the line as quivering. Lily nodded, but realized that Miley couldn't see her head move up and down.

There was a thirty-second pause prior to Lily finding her voice. "Owen is on the---" Lily swallowed, "---on the news." Miley thanked her and both Miley and Lily hung up their phones with no farewell on either end. Lily fell back onto her bed in her bedroom and let out a sigh. She wanted to talk to Oliver right then and there. "Oliver?" Lily asked, calling her best friend.

From the other end of the line, Lily sensed that Oliver was smiling by the way he said, "Hey." His voice was out of breath, but he was still in high spirits to hear from her. "Look, I'm grounded until after our final exams," Oliver informed Lily and Lily's mood plummeted. He sounded just as distressed over it. To Lily, she was going to be lonesome for no less than a week with no one to talk to. "My parents want me to do well, wait---" Oliver put the receiver down and went into the living room. Lily sat in her room, drumming her fingers on her jeans, killing time unwearyingly.

"I know that it's a long shot," Oliver began, talking to his mother. She looked at him and away from her book. Her nod allowed Oliver to continue. "What would you say if Lily and I studied together for our final assessments," Oliver suggested, sounding optimistic. His mother looked back down to her book as she thought and then marked her page, closed her book and set it to the side.

Striding back to the phone, Oliver had a wide smile plastered upon his face. "Lily?" He said into the phone. Lily's ears perked up and listened in. She sat up straighter, waiting for Oliver to speak again. "Would you like to study with me?" Lily beamed so broadly that her face was soon in pain.

Realizing that she hadn't responded his question, she said, "Yes, oh, yes!" into the receiver and Oliver snickered politely on the other end. Before too much time had passed, Lily found herself getting dressed to go over to Oliver's house. Every other time that she had gone over to Oliver's house, she didn't much care what she was wearing or how her hair looked and about half the time, she didn't wear makeup. But, Lily stood in front the mirror for a more lengthy amount of time than she typically would on other mornings such as this.

Miley was busying herself that afternoon, struggling not to think about the song that she was performing with Owen Othello in two days. She tried not to think about her costume, though it did itch horribly every time she put it on. Frazzled and unable to relief herself of this stress, Miley took to the balcony to think things out. Jackson was reading a magazine out on the terrace when Miley walked out onto it. "Jackson, leave," Miley said, drearily.

Jackson stood, throwing his magazine down and was about to say something in his defense but, then he kept in mind all that Miley was going through and stormed off the patio without a word to her. Miley looked out and saw the wind blowing the treetops. She heard the seagulls twittering and when Miley took a deep breath, she smelled the salt of the ocean. Everything around her felt in harmony with everything else but, Miley couldn't help but feel dissonance from the world.

Turning to the chair that Jackson had been sitting in, Miley stooped to pick up the magazine that Jackson was reading. "Disgusting!" Miley screamed, seeing that the magazine was a little degrading to women. "Jackson!" Miley shouted to her brother. Jackson, without more ado, knew the problem and ran out onto the porch to grab the magazine from Miley's hands sooner than she had the chance to cry out to their father.

Miley looked away from the house and saw, without delay, Lily toddling past her house on the way to Oliver's abode. "Lily, wait," Miley said and took to the stairs to descend down to the road. Getting to Lily, Miley seized her own wrist and unclasped her bracelet. "You gave this to me," she explained, "So you can have it back." Miley dropped the bracelet into Lily's hand.

Lily, out of surprise, dropped it into the rocks below her feet. Leaning down and picking it up, Lily returned it to Miley's wrist, "You're right, I gave it to you," Lily told her. Miley played with the bracelet on her wrist. "And I still want you to keep it," she said. Miley looked at her eyes and saw the truth behind the words. Without saying anything Miley brought Lily into an embrace. The two became watery eyed and laughed as they saw that the other one was crying, too.

"Oliver!" Lily screamed, running up to Oliver's front door. "Oliver---" Lily muttered to herself as she repetitively rang the Oken's doorbell. Oliver came and opened the door, smiling far and wide as he saw her standing there. Lily promptly pulled him into a hug. "Miley and I made up," Lily said happily, her face pressed against his. She, at once, noticed that Oliver had shaved his face that morning.

Oliver had taken notice to her breath as it touched his ear. She must have had a mint before she came over to his house because her breath was cool. Pulling away from the embrace, Oliver looked at Lily and she looked at him. Their arms were still holding each other. His head was still present with the thought of her chilly breath on his earlobe. Lily looked away from his eyes and her gaze went to his lips. Realizing what was about to happen, Oliver, awkwardly, pulled Lily into a second, rough, hug. "Oliver?" she said, uncomfortable all of a sudden.

The moment that had passed was too ill at ease for both Lily and Oliver. Neither knew what had just come about and, neither felt the need to verbalize. And not to make the situation worse, Lily and Oliver played the fool of the occasion. In Oliver's bedroom, Lily and Oliver studied for an a little over an hour. The room was tense for the complete hour.

After Lily left, with no more than a lackluster "Tell Miley that I apologize as well," from Oliver, Olisa turned up in the doorframe of Oliver's bedroom. Oliver sensed the presence of someone staring at him and looked up to see her there. "Hmm?" Oliver hummed, lying on his bed over his school book.

Olisa laughed and went to sit down in Oliver's computer chair. She slid the chair over to his bed side and said, "When are you going to confess to Lily that---" Oliver leaned forward and covered Olisa's mouth with his hand. She shook off his hand from her face and tried to continue with what she was saying.

The moment Olisa opened her mouth again to speak, Oliver beat her to it and said, "Never because I don't." He knew unerringly what she was going to ask him. As soon as he answered Olisa's question, she laughed, loud and obnoxiously. Oliver focused back in on his reading. It was tiresome and agonizing to do, but he had to do it.

"The garage has an especially nice view of the front door," Olisa said, and winked as Oliver looked back up at her. Pushing his hair to get it out of his eyes, Olisa laughed again and left Oliver to his studying. She later claimed that she could also sense the tension between himself and Lily all of the way out in the garage. Oliver didn't believe her when she said so.


	12. Neither Here Nor There

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello, and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare. I do not own the rights to 'Everwood' either.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable. The collaborated song that Owen Othello and Hannah Montana sing together is a quote from the cancelled television drama 'Everwood'.

* * *

"'Tis neither here nor there." (_Othello_ IV.III)

* * *

Owen Othello was backstage at the Kodak theatre. The roaring of the fans assembling into their seats nearly deafened both himself and Hannah Montana. As they were getting their microphones taped to the sides of their faces, Owen looked down at his hands and noticed that they were getting clammy. He glanced up and saw that Hannah was staring at him. He smiled at her and she returned it with a panicky grin.

As the lights backstage dimmed, Owen wrapped his arm around Hannah and squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "You, of all people, have nothing to be nervous about," he whispered in her ear. Hannah rested her head on his shoulder for a moment before a stagehand took Hannah, leaving Owen's side, so that she could make her entrance. One of the stagehands started to push Owen to where he belonged as well.

The lights on the stage lit up and, instantly, the crowd started to hollering for the concert to begin. Owen took a deep breath in and held it for a short time before exhaling. He was uneasy, for once, nervous. "Five, four---" the stage manager started to count down. Owen closed his eyes and imagined the theatre out there packed with people to see himself and Hannah perform. "Three---" Owen smiled and started to rock on the balls of his feet, waiting to start the concert. "Two---" One of the other stagehands ran up to Owen and handed him his guitar. Owen threw the strap over his shoulder and seized a pick from his pocket. "One!" The stage manager cried out to Owen.

From the center of the stage, a curtain pulled away and Owen started to play his guitar. His band was behind him. Hannah was supposed to walk out from stage right but, although Owen could hear her singing, "By day, I play the song in everyway," he couldn't find her on the stage. Owen made believe that there nothing was wrong and, he continued to play until the chorus started. That was when he began getting very anxious.

Out of the blue, much to Owen's relief, somebody put their hand on his shoulder. Turning to look, Owen was happy to see Hannah right beside him. "The girl that I want you to know," Hannah sang close by him, so near that Owen could feel her when she would move, and unintentionally, rub up against him. And every so often Owen caught her glancing in his direction. Although he was focused on his guitar, Owen was beaming from ear to ear because of Hannah.

"Back in the spotlight, the crowd is calling," Owen took over the verse and sang, "The paparazzi and the fame!" Hannah was staggered and beaming at him. This tour, Hannah knew, was going to be full of surprises. Owen grinned back, nonverbally telling her that it was his concert, too. Finishing up the first song loud and proud, Hannah grabbed Owen's arm and threw their hands up into the air and the crowd cheered for Hannah Montana and Owen Othello.

Hannah stepped down the stairs and yelled into her microphone, "Hello, Los Angeles!" Owen played a quick guitar riff, his tongue between his teeth, and laughed as the audience shrieked and roared. "As I'm sure all of you know, this is our first stop on the 'This is the Life of Jealous Souls' tour," Hannah began and the crowd cheered. Owen handed off his guitar to his bassist and ran down the stairs, taking to Hannah's side.

Owen took the microphone off of a stand that was in front of himself and Hannah. Applause rang throughout the theatre as Owen explained to the crowd, "And this is only the beginning of a great night!" After the ovation quieted down Owen began to say, "This song is a collaboration flanked by myself and---" he looked dotingly at Hannah, "Hannah Montana."

Owen began to hum a slow and steady beat and, before long his band chimed in and started to play. "If I had a day with you and you only, I would enjoy the simple things," Owen started, singing to the crowd at first. "The things that bring joy to the drudgery and the mundane," he sang, "The things that, in the end, when time steals the rest away, are the only things we'll remember." Owen started to hum a little more, "I would paddle you across a still lake in a rowboat and read poetry to you until you fell asleep, and I would never ever think about the hours," Owen had stopped humming, turning to look into Hannah's eyes, no longer singing to the others in the theatre but, singing only to her.

"If I had one day with you and you only, I would admire every line of your face, every strand of your hair, every graceful movement of your hands or your eyes or your body," Hannah sung, looking at her reflection in Owen's sunglasses. "If I had one perfect day. Don't you see, my heart beats only for you?" Hannah sang back to Owen and he smiled anxiously.

Owen took Hannah's hand and they turned to face the horde among them. "These are the things I remember, my love---A warm hand, your warm breath, your warm mouth, your arms around mine," Owen squeezed Hannah's hand, she felt it immediately and looked to him.

Hannah put her microphone closer to her lips, "I remember feeling safe, ceaseless, like one person, the two of us, still, at rest, entwined." Hannah looked away from Owen and closed her eyes, "I remember how I felt the first time I kissed you. It felt like--- the high dive." Opening her eyes, Hannah felt Owen twirl her around and she curled into his chest.

Smiling Owen sang, "What do you remember? How will I ever know what was inside your heart?" Owen's hand, which was not holding his microphone, rested on Hannah's heart. "Where do they go, all the things we think and feel but don't say?" Hannah looked up and watched Owen sing, merely mesmerized by him and his voice. But she couldn't help but speculate as to why he wore those black sunglasses.

"These are the things that I never told you, these are the things that I need you to know---" Hannah belted out, "That I love you always, and my love is so big," she continued, closing her eyes again and, even amid the shrill aficionados and the music, she didn't need to strain to hear Owen's heartbeat. "And it will live still after you're gone," Hannah sang.

Owen whirled Hannah out of his arms and chortled as the band stopped. Hannah was surprised at herself when the song was over and done with. What were these feelings erupting within her? Nothing could elucidate them, she couldn't justify them to herself. Hannah was in a daze and, before she could straighten herself out she saw that Owen was back with his band and that he had his guitar yet again.

"Now, this next song I know most of you know," Owen said into the microphone, nudging his head in the direction of the curtain on the stage which had the name of the tour painted on it in a very 'Fantastick-esque' fashion. The audience laughed and cheered, "It's called, 'Jealous Souls'." Owen began strumming at his guitar. "Jealous souls will not be answered to," Owen started to sing, "They are not ever jealous for the cause---" An instrumental carried the song off. "---But jealous for they are jealous," Owen crooned.

Applause made everyone in the theatre all but deaf. By the end of the night, every person that went to the concert could only hear a piercing ringing sound in their ears. But that didn't stop anyone from raving about their night at the Kodak theatre. Cell phones were turning on left and right outside of the theatre as people told their friends about the performance. No one had a quiet tongue.

Backstage, Hannah and Owen were talking wildly about their concert. As they got their microphones ripped off of the sides of their faces, Hannah's mug got all distorted in pain. Owen laughed and Hannah giggled because Owen laughed. The two stared at each other, blank faced, in thought. Before either one had the chance to think clearly, Hannah and Owen were in Owen's dressing room, in a very precarious position.

He had her pinned against the wall and their faces were two inches apart. Hannah reached up to take off Owen's sunglasses, wanting to see his eyes, and he was going to let her. But, before the two had a chance for an amorous moment, Owen's manager walked into the dressing room without so much as a single knock. And Hannah, without thinking, pushed Owen off of her and he fell backwards onto the couch behind him where he found himself laying upon it. Owen's manager glanced between Owen, who was smiling anxiously as he laid across the couch, and Hannah, who had her arms crossed and apprehensively grinning as she leaned against the wall, but he thought nothing of the situation.


	13. Even Now

Prerequisite: Hannah Montana and all related characters belong to Disney© and I am using them solely for entertainment purposes and not for any monetary or non-monetary gain on my behalf. I do own the characters and places created by myself for this fan fiction, i.e. Owen Othello, and without strict permission from myself, I do not wish for you to use them in fan fictions of your own conception. If you take notice, any lyrics used for Owen Othello's songs are really quotes from the Shakespearean play _Othello_. I do not own the rights to them, they belong to the late William Shakespeare.

Author's annotation: Observe that the quote above each chapter clues you into what is about to happen during the chapter. Please read this chapter with courtesy. I would ask that you would review it and provide me as much feedback as viable.

* * *

"Even now, now, very now, an old black ram / Is topping your white ewe." (_Othello_ I.I)

* * *

Miley Stewart, now friends again with Lily Truscott and Oliver Oken, could not wait to tell them about her concert at the Kodak Theatre. Oliver wasn't in town because his family was playing tourist in New York City. But Lily, before Miley had a chance to find the phone and call her the following morning, was already standing outside of the Stewart's house, waiting for Miley to wake up and tell her all about the previous night in Los Angeles. "First off," Miley started, sitting with Lily at the breakfast table and leaning over her to get the quart of milk. She rambled on about her missed opening entrance and how Owen started to sing her song. She told Lily of the song she sang with Owen.

Fully enthused, Lily hardly touched her scrambled eggs and toast. Miley, grinning from ear to ear, then told Lily about their backstage, nearly, rendezvous. At that moment, Lily dropped her fork to the floor with a loud clatter and Jackson was behind her to pick it up. "Here, you dropped this," he said, sticking it close to her face. Lily quieted him and allowed for Miley to continue. Jackson shrugged and left the kitchen, making his way to the front door.

No sooner had Miley started her story again, had Lily interrupted with a squeal, "Did---" she started to ask her best friend, "---you kiss him?" Miley's face fell, it was evident that they hadn't kissed. But Miley did enlighten Lily about how she almost found out what Owen Othello really looked like. "I bet he has striking blue eyes!" Lily said, idly as she started to phase into a musing, involving a sapphire-eyed Owen Othello, to be certain.

Miley shook her friend's shoulders and, once Lily was focused on Miley again and her narrative, continued from where she had left off. "His manager came in before anything escalated," Miley recalled to Lily, desolately. Lily grinned at the tone of Miley's voice because now she knew one thing was for sure, Miley Stewart, who was Hannah Montana, liked Owen Othello. Her rival two weeks prior was her crush that day. And Lily had been sensing that for a very long time, at least since the night of the tour meeting of a week ago.

Finally taking to her breakfast, Lily pushed her eggs around on her plate. She couldn't help herself from thinking about Oliver. They were never separated by the entire United States of America before. Or so she believed. Oliver was at his house, at the very moment that Lily was thinking about him. His father was at work, his mother was in the kitchen and Olisa was in her garage apartment. No one from the Oken household was in the Big Apple; Olisa wasn't looking at New York University, Oliver and his parents were not playing tourist.

"What are you thinking about?" Miley solicited Lily as she watched her friend grind her scrambled eggs to a pulp. Lily mashed her eggs more brutally before giving up and starting to break down. Falling out of her chair and landing face down on the floor, Lily began to groan and moan. "Lily?" Miley said, concerned, slipping from her chair and kneeling beside her friend.

Miley rubbed her back soothingly as Lily told her, "I miss him, Miley." Lily let out a long sigh and then all was quiet for a few seconds. Jackson came in and loudly shut the door behind him. Noisily, he climbed the stairs and went into his bedroom, another loud 'slam!' proving it. Lily lifted her head as she laid there on the floor and as soon as he was out of sight, Lily stuck her nose to the flooring again.

Inquiring her friend, after Jackson was upstairs and quiet, Miley asked Lily, "Who?" A simple question which she thought she knew the answer to. Lily thought that she knew it, as well, but sometimes, an answer surprises every person in the room. Miley stroked her friend's back as Lily started to make whining sounds from the floorboards. Jackson, in his work uniform, trudged back down into the living room and left the house in a bad mood.

Lily muffled a response but, Miley, concentrating on what was happening with her brother, didn't hear her. Repeating herself, Lily said, "All-live-er." She said it slowly for Miley to hear her that time around. Miley nodded and before long, Lily was sitting up and talking candidly to Miley. She was recollecting very old memories from her childhood, all involving Oliver. Lily mumbled and grumbled and Miley listened, as the best friend that she was to Lily.

Frightening both Lily and Miley, the house telephone started to ring. Sighing, and standing up, Miley went into the living room and answered the phone. "Hello, Miley Stewart speaking," Miley said into the receiver. Her face lit up almost straight away as the person on the other end started to talk. "Oliver!" She squealed. At the name, Lily's eyes widened and a beaming smile fell on her face. Oliver and Miley mumbled a few words back and forth before Miley passed the phone over to Lily. Bounding over the couch to get to the phone, Lily could not wait to hear Oliver's voice.

When the receiver hit Lily's ear, Miley had officially lost her best friend again to the person on the other end. Taking the phone out to the balcony, Lily and Oliver got entranced in conversation. "How is New York?" Lily asked Oliver over the phone line. There was a barely audible response from Oliver and Lily started to laugh. Her smile was far and wide as she talked to Oliver. Just his voice, and how she could hear him breath, made Lily happy.

Closing her eyes and imagining Oliver at her side, there was a silence on the line. "I miss you, Lily," Oliver said, he was sincere. Opening her eyes, Lily returned the words and she almost wanted to cry. Her best friend was three-thousand miles away and all she wanted to do was hug him right at that moment. Unbeknownst to her, she could have.

Just over three hours later, Lily returned into the living room, beaming from ear to ear. Miley was sitting, cross-legged, on her couch, watching the television. "'---Anyone who was anyone in the Los Angeles area last night was at the Owen Othello and Hannah Montana concert, kicking-off their tour---'" Miley muted the television and turned around to see her smiling friend.

Lily didn't say anything to Miley as she joined her on the couch, it was only until Miley inquired that Lily was taken out of her daze. Jackson walked in at the moment that Lily opened her mouth to speak, "We're going out to eat, Miley," Jackson notified his sister, telling her that their father was on his way home and that they had to be ready to head out when he pulled into the driveway.

Shrugging, Lily said her ado and took to the front door. Skipping home like a young schoolgirl, Lily couldn't control her happiness. She smiled brightly and hummed to herself a cheerful tune. Even with Oliver across the country, as far as she knew, Lily was happy enough to do flips in the streets and scream out loud. Her smiled was not soon to fade.

At Oliver's house, Oliver fell down onto his bed, sad and miserable. "Olisa!" He screamed running, two at a time, down the stairs and into the garage. "Olis---" Oliver began, opening her door without knocking, to find her under her boyfriend. "---Oh, oh, I'm so sorry!" Shielding his eyes and closing the door quickly behind him, Oliver went, embarrassingly, back up to his bedroom. Seemingly, Oliver thought that he was the only person in the world with relationship problems.


End file.
